ABC Family, after dragging its feet, cancels 'Bunheads'

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Yvonne Villarreal

Twinkle toes are without a stage on ABC Family. The network has canceled its low-rated freshman drama "Bunheads."

The ballet drama had wrapped its 18-episode first season in February. The series, which starred Broadway veteran Sutton Foster as a Las Vegas chorus girl starting over in a small town by teaching ballet, had been a critics' favorite but didn't generate enough ratings power to get into second position.

Of course, it took some time for ABC Family to admit defeat. Created by "Gilmore Girls" mastermind Amy Sherman-Palladino, "Bunheads" saw its fate in limbo as other shows on the network got renewed or killed, causing folks to hold on to any fiber of hope — a dream that seemed to be sullied when it was reported earlier this month that the sets had been torn down.

While it seems the network was buying time to find a way to extend the life of the series, the curtain had to come down.

"Bunheads is a wonderful series that we are very proud to have aired," read the network's statement. "The series had amazing storytelling, the most talented cast and a passionate and loyal fan base. Recognizing all of this, we took extra time to try and find ways to bring the series back for another season, but in the end it simply wasn’t possible. We wish the cast and crew the best in their future endeavors."

The demise of the drama follows the success of other freshman series. "The Fosters" has steadily risen each week, particularly with females ages 12 to 34. And fellow rookie "Twisted" has benefited from the return of network stalwart "Pretty Little Liars."

"Bunheads" does not go alone into the dark. Fellow bubble series "The Lying Game," which had recently wrapped its second season, got the ax last week.